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Bacalhau na nata |
Bacalhau dishes are a tradition in Portugal and Galicia, in the northwest of Spain, and also in former Portuguese colonies. In Brazil, It is often cooked on social occasions including Easter.
The drying and salting of cod have been practised for at least 500 years, Before refrigeration, this method was a need to preserve the cod; drying and salting are bygone techniques to conserve nutrients, and the process makes the cod tastier.
How to buy bacalhau, cod
Attention must be paid for the purchase to the preparation, to make sure that the recipe will come out perfect. The best part of the fish to use is the tenderloin, which has more meat and almost no bone. To check the quality, look at the cod colour, which should be white. The best kinds to buy Atlantic cod and Ling. They have more meat and are ideal for elaborate recipes.
de-salting bacalhau cod
Another vitally important process is the proper cod desalting. For each method to be performed on it, a different preparation is required:
1)Shredded cod: 6-8 hours of sauce. Change the water every 2 hours;
2)Thin steaks: 12 to 24 hours in fresh water. Change the water every 5 hours;
3)Thick steaks: placed 48 hours in fresh water. Change the water every 8 hours.
How to store bacalhau cod
If the goal is to have the cod pre-ready, you must follow a few steps to store it properly. First de-salt the fish, patch dry, rub a little olive oil and store in a sealed container in the freezer.
This recipe is easy, can be made in advance and great for family gatherings. It was giving to me in Brazil, many years ago and I had it in Portugal too.
Bacalhau na nata recipe
(Cod in cream recipe)
Serves: 6
Preparation: 1hour 15mins
Extra time: 12 hours de-salt
Ready in 13 hours 15mins
Ingredients:
600g of cod steaks
600g potatoes diced (1cmx1cm)
Salt and black pepper to taste
1 cup olive oil, 200ml
2 large onions very finely chopped
12 green or black olives halved
Sauce
4 tablespoons of butter
1 onion, finely chopped
4 tablespoons of cornflour
1 litre of milk
2 egg yolks
1 cup of fresh single cream, 200ml
Olives to decorate and lemons
Method
1)Let the water soak in cod for 12 hours in the refrigerator, changing the water every 5 hours. Drain the cod.
2)Cook the cod in fresh for about 15-20 minutes, then remove skin and bones. Shred the cod and set aside. Tip: those who want to, can buy cod already shredded and start the recipe from this point.
3)Fry the potatoes in the olive oil. Drain and season with salt and pepper and set aside.
4)In the same pan, heat olive oil and saute the onion. Add the shredded cod, olives and mix well. Reserve.
5)For the sauce: In a clean medium pan, Melt butter and saute the onions. Mix flour and milk and stir to not form pellets. Add egg yolks one at a time, constantly stirring, until forming a homogeneous cream.
6)Remove from heat, add the cream. Mix well and set aside.
7)Assembly: In a baking dish put a layer of sauce, then potatoes and other cod. Repeat the layers, ending with the sauce and decorate with more olives.
8) Bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Ready to eat.
Serving suggestion: in Brazil we serve with white rice and/or fried potato matchsticks – carbs galore!
Happy Easter!
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I wish I could give this ago but I am a veggie, I know my kids and hubby would love it.
Ooh this looks so delicious. You've used ingredients I hadn't heard of before! xxx
I'm actually vegetarian, but my mother would definitely make this for my stepdad and I'm sure he would love it!
This sounds lovely we all love fish here! Great recipe
Sounds really yummy but I don't think I'd have the patience to let it sit in water for that long! x
This looks yummy. Hubby will love this a lot.
I would never have thought to cook cos this way!
Oh wow this sounds delicious – I have to admit I do like a nice fish dish. x
Mmmm I really like bacalhau! And your article is great giving all the tips!
This sounds amazing. I really need to introduce more fish dishes to the family diet so this sounds great.
I'd love to try making cod like this for the first time. The guys would love it!
This sounds delicious. I'm a big fan of fish especially cod and salmon
I know so little about Portuguese food, but as so much of the country is on the coast, I guess it should be no surprise that fish is a big part of it.
When I was a meat eater I used to love eating this dish especially since my parents are Portuguese and from an island called Madeira.
Thanks for all the tips on cooking, desalting and storing the cod. I've often seen salt cod and wondered how to treat it. Lovely recipe too. GG
I much prefer fish to meat so I'd love to try this out!
My husband would enjoy this, I don't eat fish so its not for me. Although I am wondering if it would be nice with chicken instead?
I don't eat fish as I am a vegetarian, but I think this is something my husband would enjoy
This looks delicious! I've added it to my list of dishes to try out x
I don't eat enough fish and this recipe looks too good for me not to try. Thanks for sharing! Really interesting reading about what to look for when buying and how to prep. Cheers for that
I am a huge salted fish lover but need to try this recipe as it looks delicious
I love salt cod but have always been a little nervous of preparing it at home. Thanks for the tips! I need those matchstick potatoes too… know anybody with a deep fryer?? ;o)